Events

Mr. Prather is a retired Army Chief Warrant Officer Four, serving 41years in both the active Army and Army Reserve. His expertise is in the Administrative and Legal fields. During his distinguished career. His diverse assignments include Company Commander for the Provisional Holding Company at Fort Benning, GA; the Garrison Command Public Affairs Officer in Bagdad, Iraq; and the Deputy Command Chief Warrant Officer and Program Manager of the Sexual Assault Response and Prevention program for the USAR Legal Command. Additionally, he served as a Senior Legal Administrative Officer in various units in the Judge Advocate General’s Corps, an Equal Opportunity Officer, and an Adjunct Faculty member at the Defense Equal Opportunity Management Institute at Patrick Air Force Base, FL.

His civilian career consists of service in various federal positions. He was the Homeless Veterans Outreach Coordinator, the Minority Veterans Outreach Coordinator, and as a Benefits Counselor for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. He oversaw the administration of disability, pension, education, and housing benefits for veterans throughout the state of Tennessee. During a brief period in his professional career, he served as a Bank Manager and financial representative for three of the largest national banks.

Mr. Prather has served as a volunteer consultant for Junior Achievement, Big Brothers program, and as a Habitat for Humanity Board Member. He is an active member in several veteran’s organizations; Veterans of Foreign Wars (Post 4575), Military Officers Association of America, U.S. Army Warrant Officer Association, Warrant Officer Historical Foundation, Disabled American Veterans, and Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc.

Mr. Prather received a Master of Science in Human Services and Non-Profit Management from Murray State University and a Bachelor of Science in Public Management from Austin Peay State University. He is currently pursuing a Master of Social Work degree at Middle Tennessee State University.

Mr. Prather is a Certified Mediator and Conflict Resolution Facilitator.

John Kitchen currently serves as the services sales manager at SumoLogic; a next generation cybersecurity company. John has been in the IT industry for 25 years serving in both a military and civilian capacity.  He has a Bachelor’s degree from Northern Illinois University and a Master of Arts in information technology management from Webster University where he also serves as an adjunct professor.

John joined the US Army in April 1989.  In June 1993, John volunteered to deploy as an augmentee for Operations Restore Hope and Continue Hope; Modidushu, Somalia. 

John held multiple MOSs and achieved the rank of sergeant first class in March 2000. In April 2005, John then graduated WOCS at Ft Rucker, Alabama and then continued onto Ft. Gordon, GA where he served as the battalion and brigade network management technician and deployed to Iraq in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. Upon his return, John PCS’d to the US Army School of Information Technology where he instructed WOBC students in Cisco technologies. Prior to his retirement in July 2009, John’s final duty station was with the Joint Forced Command as an information technology Warrant Officer.  

After john’s 20 year military career ended, he went on to support multiple government organizations as a chief network engineer. John continued to support the global war on terrorism and deployed to Iraq, Afghanistan, Kuwait, and Bahrain.

Norman Hanks was born in Murfreesboro, TN and spent much of his life living in Rutherford County. Norman grew up in the Church of Christ and learned the importance of serving those less fortunate than himself. Throughout his career Norman has worked to try and make Rutherford County better and safer for everyone. He believes that through honest compassionate work he can be the change Rutherford County has been waiting for.  Norman is the Chief Operating Officer for Nourish Food Bank, the largest direct service food bank in Middle TN. He is currently serving as the Treasurer of the Board for the Rutherford County Veterans Community Center. Norman is also a member of the current class of Leadership Rutherford, which has helped him learn even more about the amazing county he grew up in.  Norman graduated from MTSU with a Bachelor’s Degree in Theatre Education and went on to work toward a Master’s Degree in Drama Therapy, with a goal of using that education and experience in working with victims of domestic violence. Norman also works constantly trying to build a safer more inclusive community for all people in Rutherford County, through his service with the Boro Pride Planning Committee. 

Rachel is currently a local small business owner and female disabled combat veteran who loves to serve those around her. Although the titles sound fun, what’s more important is the life experience that comes along with it. Rachel was born and raised by a single mom in Wisconsin and, with not a lot of options, looked to serving her country to save others while removing herself from a life not quite fitting for someone with big dreams. She went on to serve as an Engineering Aide in the United States Navy Seabee’s from 2007 to 2015. During her service she traveled to Bahrain as base support, Djibouti for humanitarian missions, and two tours to Afghanistan. As a mother of two children, dogs, cats, horses and even fish Rachel strives to set the example for servant leadership, free enterprise, and patriotism. She loves personal growth books, great conversations, and anything with good people. Currently a member of the Rutherford County Chamber of Commerce, and Board member for the Rutherford County Veterans Community Center don’t hesitate to reach out and connect with Rachel for any reason. Her love of people and great problem solving makes her an asset to our community.

Brian Morris currently serves as the Executive Director of the Rutherford County Veteran Center. Prior to this role he served as an adjunct professor of political science at Cumberland University. He has an Associate degree from Florida State College at Jacksonville and a bachelor’s degree from, The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina. He earned graduate degrees from Cumberland University, Master of Public Service Management, and the United States Naval War College, in association with University of Maryland Global Campus, Management Master's Degree with Naval Operations and National Security Specialization.  

Brian was born in Long Island, NY where he lived until, in 1992, he enlisted in the United States Nave as a Hospital Corpsman. He enlisted in the delayed entry program in February 1992. After completing initial training, he was assigned to Marine Air Group 39 stationed in Camp Pendleton, CA. During this time, he completed several deployments to the Asian theater including Operation United Shield as part of SPMAGTF 1-95. Brian held several NECs and achieved the rank of Petty Officer First Class. In 2003, he was selected for the Seaman to Admiral (STA-21) program, where he completed his bachelor’s degree, and earned his commission in May 2005.

As a naval officer, he served in various leadership roles, anti-submarine warfare officer, fire control officer, weapons officer, boarding officer, officer of the deck and engineering officer of the watch on USS Carney (DDG-64) and deployed several times in support of Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom. Brian has deployed to every continent except Australia and Antarctica. 

Upon completion of his sea tour Brian transferred to the United States Naval Academy where he served as a Seamanship and Navigation instructor, a Physical Education Instructor and finally as a curator at the USNA Museum. 

During his 21-year career he earned numerous personal and unit awards and citations. He married Racheal Schemenauer in 2004 and has two sons Thomas, 17 and Daniel 14. He currently resides in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. 

Joanna “JoJo” Johnson served in the U.S Navy and U.S. Army for over 20 years with tours in Desert Storm and Iraq. JoJo has been employed at the Tennessee Valley Healthcare Systems in Nashville, Tennessee since 2007. In 2010, she transferred to the Murfreesboro location where she works in the Mental Health Rehabilitation Recovery Treatment Program.

Since 2013, JoJo has served as a Certified Peer Support Specialist and a Certified Peer Recovery Specialist. She facilitates WRAP groups, Bridges groups, and Whole Health groups for veterans diagnosed with substance abuse disorder, PTSD, and severe mental illness.  Additionally, JoJo works with the women/men of Rutherford County and surrounding areas who are looking to better their life skills and want to give back to society. She has a variety of skills and talentsthat allows her to serve in any compacity to help others.

Jo Jo was a nominated for the Rutherford County Veteran of the year for 2021 and University Outstanding Online Student@ MTSU 2022.

JoJo actively serves on serval committees throughout Rutherford County. The RCVCC, Rutherford County Recovery Fest Committee, VA Outreach Committee, DAV Chapter 8, American Legion Post 288, VFW 4575. Through her efforts she has been able to build relationships and obtain community sponsors to support veterans' goals of community integration. 

She has a passion for children and families who struggle with Mental Illness. As a young teenager she struggled to find her purpose. The experiences she has gained during her career and the lessons she has learned in life, have provided a foundation for her lifelong commitment to advocating for veterans, children, and families with mental illness. JoJo has fostered over 25 children in the last 20 years.  In her spare time, she enjoys cooking, renovation projects and mentoring young children and adult.

Kristin Breyette is a Financial Advisor with Edward Jones. Originally from Painesville, Ohio, she moved to Tennessee in 2017 and now resides in Tullahoma with her husband, Derek and English Bulldog, Chubby. They’ve also recently welcomed their son, Silas into the world in May of 2022. 

When not in the office, Kristin has a passion for serving her community. She is a volunteer with Horseplay Horse Therapy in Tullahoma, serves as an Ambassador for the Tullahoma Chamber of Commerce, helps with wildlife rehabilitation and now serves on the board of the RCVCC. Her passion for serving veterans comes from her grandfather, Steve Kovach, who served in the US Army during the Korean War. She feels that in order to truly make a difference, you need to be directly involved in the community and help out in areas where growth opportunities exist. She is excited to help the RCVCC grow in its mission to build a coalition of Veteran Service Organizations, enabling Veterans to continue their service in Rutherford County.

John Calfee has lived in Murfreesboro since 2001.  He is a Navy veteran having served for 13 years from 1966 through 1979.  An officer who obtained his commission through ROTC, John served his active duty principally aboard the USS James C. Owens (DD 776), a WWII destroyer, where he was gunnery and ASW officer.  His tour included one assignment with the 7th Fleet in Southeast Asia.  After retiring as a Lieutenant, John began a 50+ year career in accounting and finance working at an international accounting firm where he made partner and multiple companies as a CFO.  Currently, he provides mentoring and technical assistant to privately-owned businesses as an interim CFO. In addition to his service as Board member of the RCVCC, John also serves as board member and Treasurer of the Murfreesboro Noon Rotary Club Foundation and the Rutherford County Historical Society.  His prior voluntary activities include Chairman of the Rutherford County YMCA, President of Military Officers Association as well as numerous other service organizations and educational institutions.  John is currently a Life member of the VFW Post 4575 Murfreesboro and the American Legion Post 542 Put-in-Bay, Ohio. John and his wife, Andrea, have been married for 54 years.  They have a son, who served in the 2nd Reconnaissance Battalion United States Marine Corps, and a daughter, as well as four grandchildren, all residents of Ohio.   

Mr. Carlos Rawls is from Wetumpka Alabama and  grew up in Columbus, OH until enlisting into the United States Air Force in 1997. After graduating basic training at Lackland Air Force Base, TX, Carlos was assigned 312th Training Squadron where he attended and graduated the Department of Defense Louis F Garland Fire Academy, becoming an Air Force Firefighter. He was assigned to Wright-Patterson Air force Base, OH and Osan Air Base, Korea as a firefighter. Once his Korean tour was completed Carlos tried out for the US Air Force Tactical Air Control Party (TACP), he completed the training and was assigned to 15th Air Support Operations Squadron at Fort Stewart, Georgia. Carlos would deploy to Iraq 2 times 2003 (The Invasion),2006 (Ramadi) and Afghanistan 2008. Due to an injury he was medically retired in 2010. During his 13-year career he has been assigned to numerous stations, plus earned numerous personal and unit awards and citations.  In 2010 he completed 2 associate degrees from the Community College of the Air Force and in 2012 he earned his BS in Organizational Management from Tusculum College. Currently he works for Royal Cup Coffee as a Territory Manager. Carlos is a life member of the DAV, American Legion and VFW where he is Currently the Senior Vice Commander.

As a Marine Corps veteran of over 10 years and relocating and moving more times than I can count, I know all too well how overwhelming the whole process can be — whether moving locally, cross-country, or from state-to-state. 

My family moved to the Nashville area in 2004 from Indiana after I had left for college. After finishing my freshman year, I enlisted in the Marine Corps. I came back to my new home on leave to visit my parents and 7 younger siblings (who still double as my best friends) whenever I could, and fell in love with the Middle Tennessee area, not knowing I would move here 13 years later. 

After finishing my Bachelors degree in Communication at North Carolina State in 2009, I then served as a Logistics Officer, meeting my now-husband, John, in Afghanistan in 2012. Before completing my active duty service in 2016, I attended graduate school at Purdue University while accepting a role as an Operations Manager at Amazon, managing four departments containing over 300 hourly and salaried employees. 

Working in what I thought would be my dream job, I felt unfulfilled and unmotivated working over 80 hours per week making Jeff Bezos richer. I left Amazon after almost a year, finished my Master of Science in Communication, and moved to Murfreesboro, where my husband John and I launched our logistics business and started a family. 

After two years, we had two little boys. We realized that in order for our business to be scalable and sufficiently profitable, the amount of travel required didn’t align with what we wanted for our family. After working from home and taking care of the boys for two additional years, John landed a role managing Logistics for FedEx. Shortly after that, I began my real estate career.  

We have loved raising our now 3- and 4-year-old boys here in Murfreesboro (though we just built a house just south of Murfreesboro, in Christiana, we still claim Murfreesboro!) and we look forward to many happy years here, teaching our boys to care for our community as they grow here just as we have.